All 11.0 - The Death of Ryuji Komatsu
The evening after the incident involving Shinobi saw the completion of the LT portal in Nara City. Caitlyn and Ryuji attended the celebratory party thrown by the Komatsu's, and Cailtyn managed to meet a good number of influential Yeto businessmen, as well as many members of Ryuji's family. Whenever asked, they denied that they were in a relationship; this came up repeatedly in conversation, as apparently there was some worry, particularly in his female relatives, that Ryuji's intensive career would preempt him meeting a nice girl. Through the night, Ryuji seemed to have developed a bit of a cough and was acting a little strange, but when Caitlyn asked, he said that he was fine. The next day, the pair used the portal to return to Arlington. Ryuji still had the same cough and looked tired and pale; Caitlyn remarked that he was coming down with something. He continued to deny any illness, explaining that God protected him, and all those he blessed, from disease, and that he hadn't been sick since he was nine. He blamed his cough on the dry winter air. The two said their goodbyes, and went their separate ways. Two days later, Caitlyn dropped by Ryuji's office, only to find he wasn't there. Wondering what was going on, she went over to his house. One of his roommates answered the door and explained that Ryuji was in bed sick, coughing his lungs out. He tried to dissuade her from going in, saying he might be contagious and was pretty out of it, but she waved him off and went up to his room anyway. She knocked a few times, but only got a mumbled groan as a response. Walking in, she found Ryuji wrapped up in bed under a pile of blankets, exhausted and a little delirious, as though he had a bad fever. He tried to sit up a bit when she came in, but was mostly unsuccessful. She asked him if he had been to a healer, and he replied, interrupted repeatedly by his rattling cough, that he had gone yesterday. Slowly and painfully, he explained that noone there knew what was wrong: it wasn't a disease, and every spell and treatment they had tried had done nothing. He had opted to just go home, and it had gotten much worse through the night. A quick feel of his forehead revealed that, even though he seemed feverish, he was in fact cold to the touch; a use of Detect Magic revealed nothing. Caitlyn sat with him a bit and tried unsuccessfully to get him to drink some fluids, until she said that she was going to go see if there was anything she could figure out about the strange illness. She promised to come back in a little while, and left him to his fitful sleep. As she walked out of the room, her thoughts turned uncomfortably to the story of Omulde Iarna: in the end, the warrior who killed the frost monster became sick and died. With a feeling of dread, she made her way to the library, to see if there was anything she could learn about the illness. On the road outside of the library, she happened to bump into Lucca, who had been coming to exchange some books. They exchanged sassy greetings, and Caitlyn explained her fears about Ryuji's remaining lifespan. Lucca, somewhat reluctantly, agreed to help. They spent about 3 hours searching the stacks, but found no books relating to whatever affliction this could be. Wondering about their next move, they agreed that maybe they could go to the Ahpkalawok and ask an elder for the story; perhaps their version was missing details. A quick LT trip later, and a walk through the evening snow, led them to the snow-covered igloos of the Ahpkalawok. Adhering to formality, they were introduced to the elder of stories, and he launched into a full telling of the tale. There were only two new additions to this version: the first was that the warrior had gone by a different name, and the second was that no trace of the warrior was ever seen again after walking out of the village to succumb to his illness. When asked, the elder explained that the story actually had many names for the warrior: he personally knew of no less than 6 different names that the hero of the story went by. They thanked the elder for his time and made to leave, but were convinced to stay for dinner with the tribe. As they tromped through the snow back towards the portal, they discussed what they knew. They knew that the story ended with the hero dying of an incurable illness. They knew that the monster returned again and again, corroborated by the numerous names for the hero and by the mimiga scout Santa. They believed that fey magic was involved: an incurable, non-magical disease, and a spirit-like monster that put off mimiga suggested extraplanar involvement, and did not exactly seem like the work of Heaven or Hell. Caitlyn, after extensive research regarding her fey-acquired affliction, knew that often the only way to fix fey curses was to have a powerful fey dispel it themselves. A recalcitrant Lucca, with significant bluster, offered the knowledge that he could call up a powerful fey: the masked Harlequin. With that as their only lead, they returned to Arlington and to Ryuji's house. They stopped at the church on the way, and purchased a scroll of Plane Shift, just in case they had to go to Etheria and needed a way to get back. Passing by Ryuji's slew of housemates with little explanation, they went back to Ryuji's room. He was sleeping, and when woken was even more weak and delirious than before. He wasn't very responsive when they explained what was happening to him, and he eventually just passed out again. Pulling out the joker card that Lucca had shoved in the bottom of his bag, he began to call out, waving the card around and occasionally checking around with the mirror. Caitlyn watched this, and eventually saw Lucca stop calling and start yelling at the mirror, telling it to "cut the crap and come out" and that he "didn't know how to use the stupid card, but it had obviously worked, so shut up". Harlequin, or so he had been dubbed, stepped into Materia, looking as smug and creepy as ever. The two explained that the man in the bed was dying, and asked him to help. Harlequin looked Ryuji over, pulling varied medical equipment out of thin air to mock a check-up, obviously using every instrument incorrectly. He stepped back into Etheria and continued the same investigation before discarding all of the props and returning to address them. Using a hand puppet, he acted out Ryuji dying, then getting back up as a zombie wearing a little ice crown. They demanded further explanation, which he gave using a number of ridiculous puppets. He showed that he couldn't break the curse, symbolized as a little ice crown, but it could be passed around. Anyone who killed someone with the crown gained it, dying and becoming a zombie. He also revealed that, if someone killed a living curse-bearer, the curse would be moved but the dead could be revived with a spell: the two recognized it as Breath of Life, which could restore someone just barely past death's threshold. The beginnings of a plan forming, they wondered about how long they had, to which Harlequin informed them visually that they had about two or three hours before he died. Lucca asked if someone fell to the curse, would they immediately become insane, like the one they had killed. Harlequin mimed out that they would be fine, provided that they ate; Lucca wondered if the cursed ate brains or something, to which Harlequin responded by shaking his head. He held out his arm and drew his finger along his wrist; blood poured out from the illusory cut, which he gestured to, before dispelling the image with a shake of his hand. Lucca and Caitlyn began to toss a plan back and forth: they had to get someone who could cast Breath of Life, and they had to get someone who would bear the curse, since someone had to. Cheko was their immediate reply: even if she hadn't prepared the spell, she could certainly cast it from a scroll. The second problem was much more difficult, since they had to effectively find someone who not only wanted to be a cursed vampire and would kill a man, but could be located in less than two hours. Caitlyn considered the Wizard Council and the magic university; it was possible that a scholar might want to become cursed for the chance to study the magic surrounding it. Unfortunately, they came to the conclusion that there was no way to find a suitable host in time. Caitlyn agreed to be the one to take the curse: she wouldn't let Ryuji die when they were so close to saving him, and it would buy them some time to find another host before she fell to the sickness that was currently killing the Yetoman. Settled on their path, the two turned to leave. Harlequin blocked the door: he held out towards Lucca a slip of paper that said I.O.U. with a little line under it for a signature, and a pen. His mask was smiling widely as Lucca cursed and spat and signed the paper. With a bit of a bow, Harlequin vanished, and the two ran out of the room, their time ticking. Lucca ran to the post office and then to the LT to get Cheko, who needed time to get to the portal in the Underdark. Meanwhile, Caitlyn ran to the church again and purchased a scroll of Breath of Life. By the time Lucca returned with Cheko, Ryuji was still barely clinging to life. The scout had had the situation explained to her, and she agreed to help, though she tugged at her ears in worry and stress. She stood ready with the scroll and spell: all that remained was the horrific deed before Caitlyn. Lucca ran downstairs to ask the roommates if they had any sort of waterproof tarp or similar, while Caitlyn grabbed some towels; one of them mentioned that he had a tent, which Lucca grabbed and paid him for ten times over before running back upstairs. Both people were at the height of stress and panic. They laid out the tent fabric on the floor to catch the blood and placed Ryuji on it. Lucca explained that the fastest way to kill someone was by deeply slitting their throat. Tears in her eyes and gripped by panic, Caitlyn took her dagger and put it to his throat. Holding the knife in one hand, covering it with the towel in her other to catch the blood, she slit his throat. Blood pooled out everywhere, caught by the tent and the towels, soaking Ryuji as he drew his last breath. Lucca leaned over, watching his vitals intently; as soon as his pulse quit, he signalled Cheko, who cast the spell. A white light surrounded Ryuji's body, and blood stopped flowing out from beneath the soaked towel. Pulling it back, they saw that the wound had closed entirely, and that Ryuji was breathing normally again, though he was still obviously very weak. Using the restoration spells that she had prepared earlier that day, she refreshed the drained Ryuji, and the colour returned to his skin. His eyes fluttered open, and he looked about in confusion. Before he could move, the two told him to lie still and to close his eyes again. Lucca busied himself, blotting blood and half-explaining, in his stress-fuelled state, what had happened, confusing Ryuji even further. Caitlyn, however, had become suddenly pale. She sat down on the bed, feeling rather unwell. Lucca looked over and questioned her health; she seemed to be losing coherence as a gloved hand manifested beside Lucca's face. Harlequin was still watching, obviously, and he held out a stopwatch that showed 10 minutes. The chaotic nature of the fey ritual was showing itself, as though the very magic of the curse was offended that it was being thwarted. Lucca began panicking outright as Caitlyn lay down, her eyes glazing over. Ryuji demanded to know what was happening to her, to which Lucca replied that she was dying from the curse she had just taken off of him, and how they thought that they would have had days to deal with it but now apparently only had minutes. She'd become an undead, and there was nothing to be done because they couldn't cast Breath of Life again. As if on cue, Harlequin came out again, grinning awfully; he held open his jacket, revealing numerous rolled-up papers strapped to the lining. He pulled one out and waved it temptingly. Lucca practically screamed that it didn't matter, someone would have to take it, and it wouldn't be him. Cheko agreed that this wasn't something she could bear. With a look of desperate resolution, Ryuji told them that he'd do it: if someone had to be cursed for killing the creature, then it was his curse to deal with, and he wouldn't stand by and let her die and suffer for him. Lucca yelled that this whole thing was pointless, they had done all this to get the curse off of him, but Ryuji insisted. Lucca grabbed the scroll from Harlequin, who waved the druid's I.O.U. pointedly before disappearing with a terrifying smile of glee. At the end of his rope, Lucca gave the scroll to Cheko. Ryuji moved Caitlyn onto the tent; she held onto his hand weakly and whispered 'no' repeatedly, barely audibly, as the Yetoman leaned over her. As death rapidly consumed Caitlyn, Ryuji took the dagger that had just recently been used on him. Both of them were crying when he took the knife, like Caitlyn had, and whispered that she would be alright before drawing the blade along her neck. Cheko cast the spell that would return the woman to life as her blood pooled out, mingling with Ryuji's. Barely after the light of the spell faded, Ryuji's eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the floor beside Caitlyn. Lucca checked gingerly, and found that he was dead, this time without a spell to bring him back. Cheko and Lucca sat in a stunned sort of silence, after having just watched this scene play out in front of him. Managing to focus long enough to prepare restoration spells, Lucca returned Caitlyn's drained health somewhat. She rolled over, still weak and exhausted. She held up her hands and moved them a bit, mumbling that she didn't feel any different; she didn't feel dead. Lucca, overwhelmed, explained that it was because she wasn't: Ryuji was, after he decided to take the curse back so she wouldn't die. She turned over towards Ryuji's body and held out her hand. Slowly, wordlessly, she began to run her fingers through his blood-stained hair. His body was cold: not just the absence of heat that comes with death, but actually absorbing heat, like ice. She continued to do this as the minutes dragged on, Lucca and Cheko standing in awkward shock. Eventually, Cheko helped Caitlyn sit up, leaning her against the bed. About half an hour after his death, Ryuji's eyes flicked open. He lay still, as shocked as the rest of them, until eventually sitting up beside Caitlyn. She stroked his hair absently again, mumbling that he was cold; Ryuji muttered in reply that he didn't feel cold anymore. They sat limply for a minute before Ryuji leaned over and hugged her tightly; she returned the gesture. Now that they were both awake, Lucca, completely at the end of his rope, asked Ryuji if he "felt hangry". When Ryuji replied that maybe he felt hungry, somewhat, but certainly not angry, Lucca threw up his arms and said that was great, and he was going home, since he couldn't take this anymore. Cheko asked awkwardly if she could go home as well, since this was all a lot to take in and she would very much like to go home and hug her kids. The two on the floor didn't really reply, so they took their leave. Lucca took Cheko back to the Underdark where she said her farewells, and hoped that the next time they met it would be under better circumstances. Returning to Arlington, Lucca quietly went to Victor's house, wordlessly took off his boots and blankly sat down in the kitchen across from Victor, who was working away at a crossword puzzle. When the older man greeted him, Lucca snapped and everything that had just occurred came tumbling out in a garbled frenzy. Taking it in as well as he could, Victor did his best to comfort the druid. Sitting against the bed, covered in blood, Caitlyn continued to absently stroke Ryuji's hair until she fell quietly asleep. Ryuji sat for a while longer, finding himself unable to follow suit. When he felt Caitlyn shiver, he got up and put a blanket over her. Methodically, quietly, he collected the blood-soaked articles on the floor. He showered, and threw out all of the ruined items, including the clothes he had been wearing. He wiped off the dagger, but left it beside the owner. Caitlyn woke up late in the night. There was no discussion, no real words. She took a shower, standing in the water wearing her clothes, washing the stains of the night away. She dried herself and her clothes magically, and stated that she was going home. Ryuji offered to walk her home since it wasn't safe for a lady to be walking alone in the dead of night, even though he knew she could protect herself. She agreed, even though she knew she didn't need protecting. Silently, Ryuji walked her the few blocks to her step, and with a vague goodnight, she went inside to her room, where she collapsed onto her bed. Category:Advent of the All